


Vacation in Storybrooke

by HeidiBug731



Series: OutlawQueen Saga [3]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Completed, Curse Breaking, F/M, Family, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Post-Curse, Post-Curse Storybrooke, Storybrooke, backdated
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-09
Updated: 2014-03-23
Packaged: 2018-03-08 21:25:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 17,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3223997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeidiBug731/pseuds/HeidiBug731
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Neal never broke up with Emma as August had suggested, but he took the rest of the man's words seriously. With Emma's 28th birthday, Neal knows it's time to pack up the car and drive to Storybrooke. While Emma and Henry believe this is just another family vacation, Neal knows they have a curse to break and a very short amount of time to do it in.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Road Trip

**Author's Note:**

> This story is part of my OutlawQueen saga, but it should be able to stand on its own. Just keep in mind that Regina is not the Evil Queen.

Neal loaded the last of their luggage into the back of the family's yellow Volkswagen beetle. They were finally ready to get on the road, but Emma was still protesting.

"I still don't see why you can't tell me where we are going," she said.

The truth was that if he told her exactly where they were going, she'd think he was crazy. His initial plan to tell her absolutely nothing hadn't worked at all. His insistence that he drove and that they all pack an overnight bag had raised suspicions. And then, when he couldn't find a way out of telling her how long the drive was, he had to admit their destination was in Maine.

Emma hadn't been pleased. It was fall, and Maine was sure to be cold - way more cold than Florida. She'd argued that they should wait until spring at the very least. And she'd also wondered why he wanted to visit Maine in the first place. That was an explanation he'd done everything to avoid.

He hadn't listened to August so many years ago when he'd asked him to leave Emma. But he had taken every other word August had said seriously. There was a curse that needed to be broken in Storybrooke, Maine, and Emma's 28th birthday had come. It was time to leave.

But he couldn't explain any of this to her. There was no way she would believe him. And if he told her the town's name was Storybrooke and she went to look it up, she wouldn't find anything. The town itself would not appear to exist. He didn't want to think about the questions that would come up from that or the fact that he wouldn't be able to answer them.

"It's a surprise," he told her.

"You are terrible at surprises," she said.

It was true, he was, probably because he didn't like surprises himself. Her favorite story was when he'd tried to organize a surprise birthday party for her on her 25th, but he'd spoiled it by actually telling her about it and suggesting she act surprised. In truth, any surprise he'd ever done for her, he'd always had to tell her about it before hand.

"I'm trying something different this time," he said, hoping he sounded genuine.

She stared at him, and he knew she knew he was hiding something. But she didn't press it.

"Why are we going north?" she asked.

"Because we live in the south," he said, avoiding her eyes. "We've already seen everything down here."

"A twenty hour drive?" she asked.

He did look at her this time. "I'm the one driving," he smiled. "What are you complaining about?"

She smiled back at him. "Please tell me we are at least going to a big city."

That would make the most sense. They were city people after all. But that wasn't the case this time.

"I thought we'd try something different," he said, feeling he couldn't get away with lying about this one.

She gave a sigh. "Neal-"

He took her arms. "Come on, Emma." He said, "This will be great." Although, in truth he had no idea what this trip would turn out to be like. "It's one trip. If you hate it, I'll never plan another family vacation again."

"Henry wanted to go to Disney World," she reminded him. The kid was ten, they lived in Tallahassee, Florida, and he had never been to Disney World. How terrible was that?

"This will be better than Disney World," he told her, and he didn't feel like he was lying when he said it.

Maybe she believed him because she relented. "Well, you are going to have to tell him that because he's still complaining about being the only kid in his class who hasn't been to Disney World."

"Go get him, and I'll explain on the way," he said, giving her a pat on the arm.

She smiled at him and went back into the apartment complex to fetch Henry.

Neal looked out past the parking lot at the road that would lead them out of the city. As many misgivings as Emma had about this trip, he had more. He knew at least in part what lay ahead of them, and he was not looking forward to it. But he needed to get Emma home, to help her find her family. He wasn't going to back down from that.

At length, Emma emerged from the apartment with Henry and the three of them got in the car.

"So we're not going to Disney World?" asked Henry forlornly.

"I promise you," said Neal. "After this trip, we can go anywhere you want." After this trip, he thought, they just might need another vacation.

 

 

It was early morning the next day when they finally arrived. Emma and Henry were asleep, still worn out from getting up hours before. Neal had hardly slept at all he was so nervous.

All night his head had swam with questions. How were they going to break the curse? How was he going to make Emma understand? Had he been right in bringing Henry with them? What kind of reaction would the townspeople have to their presence if any? And what would he do when he inevitably ran into is father?

He had no answers, none at all. And the questions just kept turning and turning. Several times he had considered turning the car around and going somewhere else. But how would he explain his behavior to Emma and Henry? And how could he live with himself for not bringing Emma home?

He forced himself to keep on task, and he took a beep breath as the car passed through the magical barrier he couldn't see but knew was there. He thought he'd feel something, but he felt nothing. They could have been traveling on any ordinary road. And he was inclined to let himself believe that was the case until he saw the Storybrooke sign and his stomach filled with dread.

They were here. There was no turning back now.

Neal hadn't made any plans for where they'd be staying - without any information on the town, he hadn't been able to. His only hope had been to find a hotel somewhere.

It was easier than he had expected - he found Granny's Bed and Breakfast right down the road from where they had entered. He parked the car along the curb and took a breath, trying to prepare himself for the unexpected. He felt silly for doing it. It was just a place to stay - he'd checked himself into hotels plenty of times before. But this was a cursed town, and he simply had no idea what he'd be running into ... if anything at all.

He roused Emma from her sleep.

"Wha-?" she asked groggily, rubbing her eyes.

"We're here," he told her. "I'm gonna head inside and get the room. Take your time, wake Henry and get the luggage. I'll be back out to help."

She nodded in answer. He exited the car and headed for the door of the house. As he approached, he noticed the paint on the siding had faded and even pealed in some places. There was a broken flower pot on the porch and unswept leaves scattered the yard. The whole place had a look of minor neglect about it, but he went inside anyway.

He didn't find anyone once he entered except for a young woman and an old lady arguing at the kitchen table to his left down the hall.

"Er - excuse me!" he said, breaking into whatever they were talking about. "I'd like to get a room."

"Really?" said the old woman, sounding surprised, like no one ever wanted to room here.

Neal immediately wondered if this had been a bad decision. But he knew of no other places to stay in town, and after waking Emma, he certainly wasn't going to spend hours driving around and being chastised for not planning ahead.

The old woman shook her head. "I mean, of course you do!" She strode enthusiastically over to the desk and pulled out a guest log. "How long will you be staying?"

"Two weeks," he told her.

"Just you?"

"Ah, no," he said and pointed at the door. "My wife and son are outside at the car."

"Two beds then?"

"Yes, please."

"And your name?"

"Neal Cassady."

"New in town?" came a voice from behind him.

Neal jumped at the voice, but he had the fortitude not to knock himself into Granny's desk as he spun around to face the encounter he had most dreaded whenever his thoughts had turned to Storybrooke.

Standing across from him was his father. He looked different in his suit and tie, his hair well kept, and his skin free of any blemishes from the Dark One's curse. He could have been any ordinary business man.

And perhaps that's what he believed himself to be because he looked puzzled at Neal's reaction to him. He didn't recognize him at all as his own son.

Neal quickly recovered. "Ah, yeah, we, ah. We just got in."

"The rent's all here," said Granny, forcing a hand between them that held a thick roll of bills.

"Thank you, dear," said the man Neal knew as Rumpelstiltskin. "Of course it is." He took the money and put it in his pocket, and then he inclined his head. "Enjoy your stay, Mr. Cassady."

Neal nodded, still utterly surprised at the change in his father and at the fact that he hadn't been recognized - not that he had actually wanted to be.

His father left, and Neal noticed that the young woman stood at the window to watch him leave down the sidewalk. It was almost like she was weary of him.

"Who is he?" Neal asked her.

"Mr. Gold," she said, and Neal thought it was a rather fitting name. "He owns this place."

"The inn?" he asked, finding that strange.

"No," said Granny. "The town."

That wasn't so strange.

Granny finished her book work and handed Neal a key from one of the many shelves at her side. "Welcome to Storybrooke," she said.

Neal took the key, feeling less and less enthusiastic about this trip. At least the part he'd most feared was over, for now.

 

 

It took Emma some time to get herself out of the car and then some more to get Henry out. They were both still groggy from getting up early that morning. But Neal had said they should take their time, so she didn't rush things.

They were getting the luggage out of the back of the car when Emma noticed a man in a suit walking toward them.

"You must be the family," he said with a soft grin. He pointed with his cane at the inn. "I was just meeting your husband."

She nodded. "I'm Emma, and this is my son, Henry." She put an arm around her son's shoulders.

"Emma," said the man, with a slightly surprised tone in his voice. And then he added. "What a lovely name."

"Thank you," said Emma, a little uncertainly.

The man looked at the young boy. "And what a gentlemanly name you have as well."

"Thanks," said Henry, apparently pleased.

The man inclined his head. "Enjoy your stay," he said, and then repeated her name more to himself than to her. "Emma."

She watched him as he left, and then she turned and looked back at the inn. She couldn't quite explain why, but she had the strangest feeling about this town.


	2. Fairy Tales

After unpacking their things and getting their room organized, the family went out to explore the town. They headed for the downtown area and spent the day exploring the shops. There were a number of interesting stores in Storybrooke that the family enjoyed perusing, such as the hat shop which had so many hats of interesting shapes and styles that Neal wondered how they stayed in business. Surely people in such a small town didn't have a use for so many silly or extravagant hats.

The bread store hit them with an array of divine smells as soon as they opened the door. The shop had several samples and dipping oils to try, even a few jams and specialty butters. The craft store was interesting to look through, as was the clock shop which was full of clocks of various shapes, sizes, and sounds. Mr. Gold's Pawn Shop had also looked to hold several interesting treasures, but they were only able to take in the view from the store's windows since it was closed (much to Neal's relief).

Neal was searching the Murder Mystery section in the town's bookstore when Henry ran up to him with a large leather bound book. "Can I get it?"

Neal thought it looked like some kind of special collector's item. "How much?"

"I don't know," Henry admitted, turning the book around. "I haven't found a price tag."

Emma joined them at the front counter where an old man with wiry hair stood.

"Can you tell me how much this is?" asked Henry, holding up the book.

"Dear me," said the old man, taking the book in his hands. "Did I miss one?" He turned the book over, searching for a tag. Then he paused and examined the book's title,  _Once Upon A Time_  which was written in gold letters. "Interesting..."

"What?" asked Henry.

"Well, I don't remember ever seeing this book," he admitted. And then he laughed. "But I must have in order to have put it on the shelf." He examined the book again and then looked up at Henry. "Do you like to read?"

Henry smiled and nodded.

"I'll tell you what, then," said the old man, handing the book back. "I'll give it to you for free."

"Oh, no," protested Emma and Neal simultaneously. After an adolescent period of burglary, they were both insistent on paying their way for everything.

"We'll pay for it," said Neal, digging into his pocket.

The old man shook his head and waved his hands. "I insist," he said. "I always like to encourage young minds." He looked down at Henry. "Besides, I believe that book was meant to find you."

"Don't you mean," said Henry slowly. "I was meant to find it?"

The old man shook his head. "I believe all books have a way of attracting their reader to them. Trust me, boy, that book was meant to find you."

 

 

Neal was frustrated. They had spent three whole days in Storybrooke, and while Emma admitted that the trip had been very relaxing so far and more enjoyable that she had imagined it would be, Neal still wasn't any closer to understanding how to break the curse.

He supposed he'd been expecting some sort of sign once he'd brought Emma to Storybrooke, something that would indicate what needed to be done. The town had been abuzz with delighted talk over the workings of the clock tower which had just started up the same day of the family's arrival. Neal thought there might be a clue there, but the library upon which the clock tower sat was abandoned and borded up. And Neal couldn't think of a way of separating from his wife and son for enough time to investigate.

They had met the mayor of the town too. And while she had been perfectly pleasant in insisting that they enjoy their stay, Neal couldn't help but feel something sinister about her, like she secretly didn't want them there.

Neal found himself wishing August had given him more information or that he, himself, had asked more questions. Just how exactly was this curse supposed to be broken anyway? What were they supposed to do? And how was he supposed to fill Emma in without her thinking he was insane? He needed some guideline, some idea of what to do next, but he had nothing.

They had started the morning downstairs from their room, at Granny's breakfast table. He looked across the table at Henry who was staring intensely at the innkeeper like he was worried about something.

"What's up?" Neal asked.

"We'll," said Henry. "It's just," he looked down at the book he had been carrying around nonstop since they'd left with it from the bookshop. "Well, look."

He slid the book over to his father, and Neal looked down at the illustration to see an old woman who look remarkably like Granny.

"Strange," said Neal.

"And look at this, too," said Henry. He reached out and turned a page, revealing an image of Red Riding Hood that looked remarkably like Ruby, Granny's granddaughter.

Neal stared from the book to Ruby and back again. The image was simply too similar to be a coincidence. "Henry," he said. "What is this book about?"

Henry shrugged. "It's fairy tales. Except it tells them in such a way that they are all connected, like everyone knew each other."

Neal gripped the edges of the book. "And the people of this town look like the characters?"

Henry shrugged again. "I hadn't really noticed until just now."

Emma leaned over to see what they were looking at. She gave a "huh" that sounded unconvincing, like somehow she wasn't seeing what Neal and Henry were.

Henry excused himself from the table to use the toilet, and Neal took a few moments to flip through the book's pages. There were dozens of illustrations, and if those illustrations matched the people in this town, and if the story detailed what had happened here, then maybe this was the clue he had been waiting for.

"Emma," Neal suggested. "Why don't I take Henry around myself today? I mean, you've been talking about wanting a night to yourself."

Emma thought about it, and her face softened. "I have been wanting to take a soak in that claw footed tub in our room."

She was gone by the time Henry came back. Neal patted him on the shoulder. "It's just you and me today, bud."

"What are we doing?" he asked.

"We're going to find out who else is in that book of yours."

 

 

By lunch they had found Geppetto in the Mechanic shop, Grumpy the dwarf walking the streets, and Jiminy Cricket at the psychologist office.

"I think we need to take a different approach," said Neal once they had sat down to lunch at Granny's diner.

"Like what?" asked Henry.

"I want to find Snow White," said Neal. He wasn't sure, but it seemed to him that if the curse was to be broken, then he needed to connect everything to Emma. And finding her parents seemed like a good start. "I'm just not sure where we should start looking."

Henry shrugged. "We found Jiminy Cricket at the psychology office. That seems like the right place to find a conscience."

"But not such the right place to find Geppetto at the car shop," Neal pointed out.

"It kinda makes sense," said Henry. "I mean, he's fixing things."

Neal nodded thoughtfully. "What kind of job might Snow White have?" he wondered.

"She likes animals," said Henry. "And singing."

Neal didn't think such a small town had a place for a singer, but Storybrooke did have an animal shelter.

"She likes dancing," continued Henry. "Maybe she works at a bar."

Neal stared at him.

"You know," he said. "People go dancing and do karaoke at clubs and stuff."

It wasn't as bad as the suggestion Neal thought he might get, but still. "You are too young to know about that kind of stuff."

"I'm ten," said Henry, as though that explained everything.

"We'll check the animal shelter," said Neal. "What other ideas?"

"She cleans," said Henry after a moment.

Neal thought a maid might be more fitting for Cinderella than Snow White. He tried to think of the Disney movie, recalling Snow dancing around and around the room with the dwarfs. Rather than small men, they had reminded him of children.

"What would you think," asked Neal slowly, "of Snow White doing something with kids?"

"Like day care?" said Henry.

"Or school."

Henry nodded.

They finished their lunch quickly, and then headed back out again. They stopped at the animal shelter first, but found no one fitting the right description. They didn't know if there was a Storybrooke day care, but it didn't matter. As soon as they reached the school yard, they spotted a dark haired woman teaching class outside.

"That's her," said Henry, checking the book.

They stood in silence for a few moments, leaning against the low-standing brick wall.

Neal was in awe. There, sitting in the yard in a group of children, was Emma's mother. And she was completely unaware that her daughter was in town or even that she had a daughter at all.

"Dad?" asked Henry. "Is this real? Like, that can't really be Snow White."

Neal made a judgement call. He wasn't sure how wise it was, but he made it just the same. "What all did that book tell you?"

"I haven't finished it yet," he admitted. "But there's talk of a curse the Evil Queen is making to rip all the happy endings away."

Neal nodded, then he knelt to Henry's level. "Before you were born, a man came to me by the name of August, and he told me that your mother was the daughter of Prince Charming and Snow White. And that after her twenty eighth birthday, she would come to a town called Storybrooke to break the Queen's curse."

"How do you know he wasn't crazy?" asked Henry.

"Because his real name was Pinocchio," said Neal, "And he also knew my real name." He paused as Henry stared at him. "Does that book mention a Bealfire?"

"Bealfire!" said Henry, his eyes lighting up. He opened the book and flipped to a page where a young boy with a mop of brown hair was pictured.

"That was me," said Neal.

Henry gasped, a look of absolute joy on his face. He turn back to look at Snow White. "Then that means..." It was a while before he finished the sentence. "I'm a fairy tale character!"

Neal laughed. "Kind of."

"This is ... this is..." Henry looked this way and that, not knowing how to handle the emotions flooding him. And then his smile faded. "We can't tell mom, can we? She couldn't handle it."

"Not yet," said Neal, shaking his head. "But once we figure out how to break this curse, we're gonna have to let her in the know."

Henry hugged the book to his chest. "I'll keep reading."


	3. Missing Person

"There's nothing in the book about how to break the curse," said Henry at dinner that night. "Just your father's prophecy that mom would break it."

Neal sighed. He had really been hoping for some kind of break through.

"So what did you guys do all day?" asked Emma when she had returned.

"We went on a scavenger hunt," said Henry quickly.

"Oh, yeah?" said Emma sounding interested. "What kind?"

"On historical places," said Neal slowly as Henry looked to him to answer. "Did you know the school is the oldest building in Storybrooke?"

"That doesn't surprise me," said Emma conversationally.

"What did you do, today?" asked Henry, changing the subject.

"Lazy things," she told them. "I did go shopping for a pair of boots."

As the family conversed about their day, Ursula, the major of Storybrook, entered the diner. She had a long face with short dark hair and dark eyes. She had a young boy of about four years walking with her with similar features.

"How are you enjoying the town?" she asked the family.

They all answered her with good responses, but Neal could not shake the feeling that she was silently despising them.

"Roland," said Henry, looking at the small child.

The boy turned to him. "My name's Eric," he said with a small voice.

Henry's eyebrows came together. "But ... you're Robin and Regina's kid."

"That's my son," said the mayor with a grin that was pleasant and yet somehow also sinister.

"No, he's not."

"Henry!" said Emma.

Henry turned to face his parents. "She stole him!" he shouted, pointing at Ursula. "She stole him from his real mom and dad!"

"That is enough!" Emma yelled. She turned to Ursula. "I am so sorry." Then she turned back to Henry. "Apologize right now."

Henry hesitated, looking between his mother and father to the young boy. He looked like he was struggling against something, but at last he looked down at his plate and muttered. "Sorry."

"Henry," said Emma, who not appeased.

"If we do have more visitors to our town," said Ursula, and this time she did nothing to mask the iciness. "Perhaps they'll be more polite than your son."

"I am so sorry," Emma repeated as Ursula took the boy and they headed out the door. She looked back at Henry. "What has gotten into you?"

Henry said nothing, just stared at his plate.

 

 

"What has gotten into him?" asked Emma once they were back in their room. Henry was currently sitting in the the bathroom, still there from when Emma had questioned him. "He won't tell me anything."

"I'll give it a try," said Neal. He moved past his wife into the bathroom where he knelt in front of Henry who was sitting on the closed toilet. "You okay?"

"Yeah," he said sadly.

"You wanna tell me who Roland is?"

Henry sighed. "He's Robin and Regina's son," he started.

"And who are they?" asked Neal, not remembering those names from any particular fairy tale.

"Robin Hood," clarified Henry.

"No Maid Marian?" asked Neal.

Henry shook his head. "Robin saved her from the Sheriff of Nottingham, but he never married her. He ends up with Regina, who before that was apprenticed to the Dark One."

"Oh," said Neal, not even wanting to imagine what that might have entailed.

"But when Regina left, Rumpelstiltskin found Ursula," Henry continued. "Eric was her son. But when she took over the castle, a fight broke out. Snow White fired an arrow that was meant for Ursula, but Eric got in the way."

"So he died?" said Neal.

Henry nodded. "That's why the Queen hates Snow so much. She blames Snow for his death."

"And after the curse, Ursula took Roland as her son?"

"They were friends," said Henry, clearly distressed. "Ursula and Regina. Regina even saved Eric's life once. And Ursula just took her son. Roland should be with his parents. He doesn't even know who they are or what Ursula took from him."

"Hey," said Neal taking his hands. "I know this is bad. The curse broke up everyone. But we're gonna break the curse, and everything will go back to the way it was. I need you with me, Henry. I can't do this by myself. Are you still with me?"

Henry nodded.

"I'm pretty sure Ursula still has her memories."

Henry nodded again. "Yeah."

"So we can't let her know that we know what's going on anymore than we all ready have."

Henry gave another nod. "You're right." And then he got a look on his face like an idea had suddenly struck him. "You know when Snow White was first cursed with the apple? True love's kiss saved her. And if she and Prince Charming have been separated, then maybe all we need to do is get the two of them together again."

"And then true love's kiss will break the curse," said Neal, following along. "It's the best plan I've heard all day." And it was the only plan he had.

"We'll find Prince Charming tomorrow," said Henry, smiling. And then his smile faded. "What are we gonna tell mom?"

"I'll think of something," said Neal. "You stay here."

He rose and opened the door into the main room where Emma stood with her arms crossed, leaning on Henry's bed.

"Well?" she said, when he entered.

"He said it was a mistake," said Neal after he had closed the bathroom door behind him. "And it won't happen again."

"It shouldn't have happened in the first place!" said Emma, standing. "What would make him accuse some woman of stealing her child? Was there a missing child poster hanging around somewhere while you two were exploring?"

Neal turned up his hands in an unsure gesture. "Maybe Henry saw one."

"Then why wouldn't he tell us about it?" said Emma. "He knows we'd be supportive if that were the case... Who are Robin and Regina?"

Neal shrugged.

"Is this about that book he's been caring around?"

"I doubt that's it," said Neal.

"We'll our son's behavior has suddenly changed," she said, gathering the book from the bed. "And the only other thing that's changed in our lives is this book." She opened it and began flipping through the pages.

"Emma, Robin and Regina hardly sound like fairy tale characters."

"Well, if the stories are rewritten to connect all of them, maybe they added new people. I don't know."

"Emma," said Neal, kneeling before her. "You know how crazy this sounds?"

"Our son just accused a stranger of stealing a little boy, and you don't seem that concerned about it." She scrutinized him. "Did the two of you really go on a scavenger hunt today?"

"Yes," said Neal quickly.

"Neal-"

"We did!"

"To look at historical places?"

He struggled to look her in the eyes. He knew she could tell when he was lying.

"Neal!"

"Henry wanted to see," he struggled with the words, "what other people in town might match the characters the book."

"Neal," said Emma, standing.

"I thought it was harmless," he added.

"So harmless you had to lie to me about it."

"Henry asked me not to tell you," Neal quickly fabricated. "You know how you are about fairy tales."

Emma gave a large sigh. It was true that it bothered her that her son's favorite story genre was fairy tales. She took issue with how society romanticized them and how the stories set up an ideal for how life should be. She knew the hard way that life didn't work out that way, and she didn't want her son falling for the trap. Yes, she was cynical, and she had good reason to be. But her feelings on the genre often conflicted with her desire to be supportive of her son.

"If I accuse the book," she said slowly. "It makes me look paranoid, doesn't it?"

"Yes, it does." Neal reasoned.

Emma sighed again and tossed the book back onto the bed. "Fine. But I need an explanation for his behavior today."

"Fair enough," said Neal, and he went back into the bathroom. "I need you to tell your mom you saw a missing person's ad," he told his son, speaking softly. "And you thought it was Ursula's kid."

Henry nodded.

"But then you realized you made a mistake," continued Neal. "You were wrong, and you realized how huge a mistake that was and you were embarrassed and that's why you didn't want to talk about it."

"Okay," said Henry, nodding again. "Good plan."

"Your mom made me think of it," Neal admitted.

Henry slid off the toilet seat. Neal stopped him before he could reach the door. "You don't mind me using you as a scapegoat do you?"

"What's a scapegoat?" asked Henry.

"It's when, you put the blame on someone to avoid getting in trouble yourself. Basically," said Neal, trying to explain better. "When mom gets suspicious, I tell her all this curse breaking stuff was your idea. That way I can still reason with her because she doesn't think I'm up to something."

Henry thought about it for a moment and then nodded. "Sounds fair."

"Thanks, buddy," said Neal smiling. "I promise when all this is over, I'll take you out for ice cream."

"Something this big," said Henry. "Bringing all the happy endings back ... I think deserves a puppy." He'd been trying to talk his parents into letting him have one for years.

Neal hesitated. "Ice cream first, and then we'll talk about a puppy."

Henry shrugged but didn't press it. He knew that was as good an answer as he was ever going to get.


	4. John Doe

"How are we going to get away from mom long enough to find Prince Charming?" asked Henry at the breakfast table that morning as they waited for Emma to come down from the room.

"I'm still working on it," Neal admitted. But when Emma finally joined them, he didn't have any ideas.

"I know what you two are doing today," Emma sang, dropping a brochure in front of Neal. It was titled  _Storybrooke Places of Interest_  and had an image of the clock tower on the front. "It's for your scavenger hunt," she said when Neal didn't react. "The one you guys didn't get to do yesterday."

"Yeah!" said Henry excitedly, grabbing for the brochure.

"Where did you find it?" Neal asked.

She pointed behind her toward the front door. "Granny's got a whole thing of visitor brochures upfront."

"Huh," said Neal, amazed that he hadn't noticed.

"What are you going to do today?" asked Henry.

"I," said Emma, holding up another brochure. "Am going over to the alternative healing office. They apparently have a deep therapy massage that I didn't know about. So I'm gonna go where I should have yesterday and then I'll find something else to do while you guys finish up your hunt."

Henry grinned at his father. "Awesome."

"Henry," said Emma after she sat down. She placed a hand on her son's arm. "What you did yesterday was very brave. It's good you were paying attention to that missing person ad. But you can't go around accusing people, even if you are sure. It's better to tell the police, okay?"

"Okay," said Henry sincerely. Neal was impressed with his son's ability to act like he was taking his mother's words to heart for a situation that had never happened.

 

 

"So where do you think Prince Charming would be?" asked Henry as they started back out on the streets.

Neal wasn't sure. There was nothing from the Disney movie that made him think of anything. The truth of it was that Prince Charming wasn't in the movie very long and didn't do much other than kiss Snow White awake.

"I don't know," he admitted at last. "What do princes do?"

"Sword fight?" suggested Henry.

"I doubt there's a fencing club in Storybrooke," Neal told him. Although, as he thought about it, with so many princes in so many fairy tales, maybe there were a group of men gathering together every week to practice their swordplay.

"What about the stables?" said Henry.

"What stables?" asked Neal.

Henry held up the brochure his mother had given them. "Storybrooke has stables," he said. "It's one of the places of interest."

Neal was amazed. He would never have thought of such a thing. "All right, let's go there." It didn't hurt that while investigating Prince Charming they were also fulfilling the scavenger hunt like Emma thought they were doing.

But when they reached the stables, they could find no one who looked like the image of Prince Charming in the book.

"Henry," said Neal as he flipped through the last pages of the book. "Time froze here, didn't it?"

"Did it?" asked Henry.

"No one's aged," said Neal, showing his son the illustrations. "Everyone looks the same, don't they?"

"Oh!" said Henry, surprised that he hadn't realized it before. "You're right!"

"And everyone was talking about the clock tower finally moving once we arrived." Neal continued. "So if Prince Charming was unconscious just before the curse was cast-"

"He could still be unconscious now!" said Henry. He got a worried look. "He could be anywhere!"

Neal closed the book and passed it back to his son. "Let's check the hospital."

The hospital itself wasn't hard to navigate. Neal simply followed the signs to the ward where he thought a coma patient might be housed. No one stopped them to ask who they were or where they were going. Neal had learned long ago that if you acted like you knew what you were doing or where you were going, people usually assumed you were meant to be there.

"That's him," said Henry when they found a man with the name tag of  _John Doe_  in the very back. Henry seemed sad. "We can't get them to kiss if he's asleep."

Neal nodded. It looked like their plan might have led to a dead end.

"Can I help you?"

Neal and Henry turned around to find Snow White standing behind them. She had a volunteer pin on her shirt.

"Just, uh, taking my son around," said Neal, putting an arm around Henry. "We were going on a scavenger hunt." He held up the brochure. "And, uh, I think we got sidetracked." He laughed, and Snow smiled.

"Do you know that man?" asked Henry gesturing to the glass that separated them from Charming's hospital bed.

"No one does," said Snow, shaking her head. "Someone found him on the side of the road like that. He hasn't woken."

"He doesn't look even a little familiar?" Henry pressed.

"No," said Snow, glancing over at the sleeping form. She looked up at Neal, questionably.

"I'm sorry," said Neal, stepping forward. "My son thinks you're Snow White."

She raised her eyebrows. "And the gentleman in the other room would be...?"

"Prince Charming," Neal finished for her.

She opened her mouth as though to say "Ah," the picture becoming clear to her. She smiled at Henry as though to say she was willing to play along. Then she stepped to the glass to peer in.

As Neal watched her face, he thought he saw a moment of clarity, as though for just one fraction of a section Snow White recognized her husband. But then she shook her head and stepped back to look at Henry. "I'm sorry," she said. "I don't know who he is."

"That's okay," said Henry, looking disappointed, but then his eyes light up. "But maybe he'd remember you!"

Snow looked confused.

"Your story," said Henry, opening his book and flipping through the pages. "It's in here." He held the book, opened to the appropriate page, out to her. "You could read it to him."

"I doubt that would-" Snow started.

"They do say some coma patients can hear what is happening around them," Neal interjected.

Snow glanced from Neal to Henry, who had the biggest pleading look on his face. Snow knelt down in front of him. "What's your name?"

"Henry," he said.

"And you believe in fairy tales, Henry?"

He looked up at his dad, who gave him a pointed look. Henry looked back at Snow and nodded.

"Well, I do too," she said, holding out her hands.

Henry grinned and passed the book to her.

"I'll give it a try," Snow said, straightening. "Where do I find you to give the book back to you?"

"We're staying at Granny's Bed and Breakfast," Henry told her.

Snow smiled and nodded, and then she turned to Neal.

"I'm sorry," he mouthed.

"It's okay," she mouthed back, still smiling. And then walked away to continue with her duties.

"Henry, you are brilliant!" said Neal as soon as they had left the hospital. "Where do you want to go?" he asked, dropping down in front of his son and placing his hands on his shoulders. "I'll take you anywhere you want."

Henry gave it some thought. "Can we ride one of the horses?"

"Yes!" said Neal enthusiastically. "Let's go!"

Neal was in a particularly good mood and feeling like nothing could spoil it. Soon, the curse would be broken and everything would go back to the way it should be. Nothing at all, he felt, could go wrong.

 

 

"You have to help!" cried Snow as she found the family at breakfast the next morning.

All three of them looked up at her, Emma with some confusion.

"I read the book to him," Snow told Neal. "And he woke up!"

"He did?" cried Henry, excitedly.

"Wait. What?" tried Emma, but no one was listening to her.

"Well, he grabbed my arm," Snow explained. "And when I went to check on him this morning, he was gone! No one knows what's happened to him and he could be in danger!" She looked rather distressed. "Dr. Whale said he's probably wandering around town delirious!"

"Mom can find him," said Henry quickly. "She's good at finding people. Aren't you, mom?"

"I don't-" started Emma, but Snow had turned to her.

"Oh, you'll help, won't you?" she asked. "Please?"

"Well, I-" Emma turned to her husband, and Neal realized he must have had an urgent look on his face because Emma turned right back to Snow and said, "Yes, of course."

The family sprang from the table, their breakfast unfinished, and packed into Snow's car.

 

 

It was a long and hectic day, but they finally found Charming by nightfall. Snow had resuscitated him, and for a moment it seemed the curse was sure to end. But Charming went back to the hospital and Ursula appeared with a woman by the name of Katherine Nolan who turned out to be the wife of David Nolan - Charming's cursed alter-ego.

"I supposed I shouldn't be surprised at your family's involvement in this?" said Ursula after Katherine had gone into Charming's room to embrace him.

"Snow asked us to help," Neal told her, defensively.

"Who?" asked Ursula, and Neal realized too late his mistake.

"The volunteer," said Neal, gesturing at Snow who seemed momentarily stunned by the scene she was watching through the glass wall of another woman being with her husband.

"You mean, Mary Margaret Blanchard." Ursula schooled.

"What did I say?" asked Neal, feigning ignorance.

He doubted he was very convincing, but Ursula took another glace at the scene through the glass wall and the view seemed to cheer her.

"Normally, I take issue with civilians involving themselves in police work," she said, looking to both Neal and Emma. "But since it appears you saved Mr. Nolan's life and I was able to reunite him and his wife, I'm in a gracious mood. I thank you for your assistance, and I suggest we  _all_  leave the happy couple alone."

Her last words were aimed at Snow, who seemed to jolt out of her trance. She turned away from the glass and reached into her large handbag to give Henry back his book. Then she walked away without a word.


	5. Father and Son

"What was all that about?" asked Emma once they were back in their room and Henry had gone into the bathroom to change. "And did you call that woman 'Snow'?"

"It was a mental blip," Neal tried to explain. "Henry said she looked like Snow White from his book. That's what I was thinking of."

"The book?" said Emma. "What does that have to do with this?"

"Nothing," Neal said automatically, but he knew he'd have to explain. "Henry thought Mary Margaret looked like Snow White and Mr. Nolan looked like Prince Charming, and he showed the book to her, and they both started talking about how much they liked fairy tales, and Henry offered to lend the book to her. That's all. It was nothing."

Emma continued to stare at him like she wasn't completely convinced. "What were you doing in the hospital?"

Neal knew he had no excuse for that. The scavenger hunt story had worked out well so far, but he doubted the hospital was on the brochure. He had to come up with something, and he said the first thing his mind came to. "I was looking for my father."

Emma's skeptic look turned to shock and surprise. Her features softened and she stepped toward him. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I wasn't sure I wanted to see him myself," he told her. And it was true. The fact of his father's presence in Storybrooke had been bothering him all week. He didn't want to pay him a visit, and yet more and more he was feeling like he needed to. Whether the reasons had more to do with his own unresolved personal feelings or the increasing pressure to break the curse, he wasn't sure.

Emma stepped close, placing a hand on his chest and looking up into his face. The two of them never talked about their parents. Both of them knew what it was like to be abandoned and both of them had questions and frustrations their parents had left them with. They understood this about each other, and that understanding was all that was needed. That, and the knowledge that they had provided a better life for their son.

"I don't know what I'd do if I was in your shoes," Emma admitted. "Are you sure he's here?"

Neal nodded. "I just have to find him."

"Do you want help?"

Neal shook his head. "When I talk to him, if I talk him, I'd rather be alone." That was the truth. It didn't hurt either that he also didn't need Emma with him to realize he had known exactly where his father was from the first day they arrived and that finding the man had nothing to do with the real reason he had visited the hospital.

"Just tell me he wasn't the reason for this trip."             

"He wasn't," Neal told her truthfully. "I wouldn't want to get you and Henry mixed up in all that."

She nodded, believing him, and then looked thoughtful. "How about I take Henry tomorrow?" she asked. "That will give you time to look around, and that will give me and him a day with each other." She gave a soft laugh. "I'll take him to some of the places you guys missed from staying at the stables all day."

Neal gave his own laugh in reply. Henry had loved those stables. They had hardly made any progress on the  _Storybrooke Places of Interest_  list. "Okay," he said, but then a cold feeling seemed to seep into his chest. He was going to have to face his father, and a large part of him really, really didn't want to.

"You sure you'll be all right?" she asked.

He nodded.

She studied his face as though deciding if she believed him. And then, perhaps to give him courage, she pressed her lips to his.

Neal responded a little more enthusiastically that he had intended, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her to him. A part of him did want her with him when he talked with his father. He wanted her strength and her resiliency. He wanted her comforting presence at his side. And as he realized that fact, he found himself thinking of how lost he'd be without her, how thankful he was to have her in his life. What would he have done with himself if he had listened to August all those years ago? And as he gave himself over to how much he loved this woman, he forgot everything else. There was no curse, no Storybrooke, no impending threat of tomorrow. There was just him and her.

He had nearly taken her into his arms with every intent of depositing her onto the bed until reality hit in the form of Henry coming out of the bathroom, having changed into his pajamas, and saying "Guys, if you just wanted some alone time, you could have said so."

 

 

It took Neal some time to gather the courage to enter his father's store. He spent an hour and a half aimlessly browsing the other shops around it, and then another twenty minutes hesitating and pacing around the door before finally entering.

The shop was a strange collection of odds and ends that he first mistook for random junk. But the more he noticed - the hand crafted windmill in the corner, the intricate baby crib mobile, what might even be a display of magic wands - the more he realized the small treasures his father had amassed. Neal could only imagine where he had gotten them all.

"Can I help you?" asked Mr. Gold as he came out from the back room.

"No, I-" Neal felt a strong urge to bolt, but he stood his ground. "I was just looking." As his gazed traveled everywhere but directly at his father's face, he noticed a worn piece of material sitting on a shelf just above his father's head. "What's that?"

Gold turned around and saw where Neal was pointing. "This?" He gathered the material in one hand and held it against his chest. "It's not for sale."

"Yeah, but what is it?" Neal insisted, sure he recognized the material.

Gold studied him. "Of all the valuable items in this shop, you find interest in an old rag?"

"With all the valuable items in this shop," Neal retorted. "Surely it's more than that."

Gold studied him again. Neal still wasn't sure he wanted his father to recognize him. But regardless of his personal feelings, he was sure his father had to be the one man with the knowledge of how to break the curse. He needed his father to know him, to remember, but the idea was still a scary prospect.

"It belonged to my son, if you must know," said Gold, letting his possessive grip on the material lessen a little. "It's all I have left of him."

"What happened to him?" Neal asked.

"I lost him," said Gold, kneading the material in his hands. "There was this place he wanted to go, and I promised when he was ready that I would go with him. But when the time came..."

Gold hesitated and shifted his gaze to Neal. He turned so that he was facing the man. "I let him go without me. I ... I was too scared."

Gold's eyes seem to widen, and Neal was certain he had made up his mind that it was in fact his son he was talking to. "I have spent every moment since that day trying to find him."

As Gold waited for a response - his eyes never leaving Neal's face - Neal found he could not reveal himself. Three hundred years had passed and yet the moment his father had let him go still burned in his mind. He couldn't forgive, and he couldn't forget.

"I sorry," said Neal. Then he turned, determined to leave and never look back. He would find another way to break the curse - one that didn't involve his father. But halfway to the door Gold spoke a hesitant word.

"Bae?"

Neal found himself frozen by his name. In spite of himself, he turned around to face his father.

"Baelfire?" asked Gold, his voice more certain now.

Neal couldn't move, couldn't speak.

Gold's face twisted with emotion, "Bealfire, I-" He moved to come around from behind the counter.

"Don't-" Neal said, raising a hand that stopped his father in his tracks. "Don't come any closer!"

"Bae!" Gold pleaded. "I've searched for you for so long!"

Neal shook his head. "I'm here for Emma," he said. "To break the curse. Nothing else."

His father seemed torn. His eyes watered. "Three hundred years, Bae." He pleaded. "I have done nothing but look for you."

"Three hundred years," Neal told him, the words coming out slow from the effort they took. "I have done nothing but watch the moment you chose to give me up over and over again in my head."

Rumplestiltskin shook his head, perhaps dreading the words he knew would come next.

"I have spent three hundred years  _hating_  you."

"Bae," his father pleaded, his face twisting in grief. He stretched out a hand, as though wishing his son would grasp it. "Bae, please..."

But Neal felt no sympathy for him. "The only reason I walked through that door," Neal said, pointing behind him. "Is because I need to know how to break this curse. I am not here for you. And when this curse is over," Neal gave a shake of his head, "you won't see me again."

Neal thought his father might collapse into a grieving puddle on the floor, so great was the pain he saw on his face. But his father slowly composed himself and headed back to his original position behind the counter. He put a hand on the counter top for support. "Well," he said slowly, his face turned away so Neal couldn't see. "I can't imagine why you'd think I'd know anything about that."

"A curse powerful enough to send everyone from the Enchanted Forrest here?" said Neal. "And strip everyone of their memories? You really expect me to believe the Queen made that up herself?" And when his father didn't say anything, he added. "There's only one person I know powerful enough to make a curse like that."

"The curse stripped away my memories too," his father said, still not looking at him.

"But you have them back," said Neal. "When no one else does. Care to explain how that happened?"

His father didn't speak. Eventually, he turned to face his son. He showed no emotion and still said nothing.

"So you don't want the curse broken?" asked Neal, taking his father's silence for defiance.

"The whole purpose of the curse," said Rumple. "Was to get me to you." He raised his hands, "Now that you are here..."

"So you'd rather keep everyone frozen in time and torn from their families while you try to reclaim yours?" asked Neal, anger bubbling up in his voice. His father hadn't changed one bit.

Rumple gave a shrug. "You're not giving me much incentive to do anything else."

"You think you can just force us into being a family again?" asked Neal, who let out a bitter laugh. "You'd think after three hundred years, you'd have learned that doesn't work."

He took a step toward his father, who remained as stoic as stone. "How's this for incentive? I know you can't leave this town, and when our little vacation is over, my family is out of here. At least with the curse broken, you could try to follow us." Neal had no intention of resuming ties with his father. As soon as the curse was broken, he was planning on get as far away as possible.

Rumple continued to stare at him for a moment or two. Then he slowly reached under the counter and pulled out a long black box. "The only way," he said. "To break any curse, is through true love."

"I tried that," said Neal. "Woke up Prince Charming to find he had another wife besides Snow."

Rumple gave a nod, like this wasn't news to him. "Fortunately, I made a true love potion from the hairs of Prince Charming and Snow White before the curse struck, which is currently hidden beneath the library under the clock tower."

Neal felt a rush of triumph. He'd known there was something important about that place.

"The only issue," Rumple continued as he undid the latches of the case and lifted the lid to reveal a gleaming sword inside. "Is retrieving it."

Neal studied the sword. "What is this?"

"It's Prince Charming's sword," said Rumple simply.

That wasn't what Neal had meant. "Why do I need a sword?" he asked, rephrasing the question.

"You don't need a sword," Rumple told him. "Emma does."

"No," said Neal, shaking his head. "Absolutely not-"

"You don't have a choice in the matter," said Rumple. "Emma is the key. She's the escape clause of the curse. She's the only one who can break it."

"Why does she need a sword?" Neal asked again, growing aggravated.

"Because of the manner in which the potion needs to be retrieved," said Rumple.

"Which means what?" asked Neal, raising his voice now. "I'm not sending my wife into the bowels of the library to face some mythical guardian you ordained!" Neal had no idea what his father had in mind, but sending Emma, the savior of Henry's storybook, into unknown territory with a sword certainly seemed like some kind of epic hero's journey.

"You don't have a choice," said Rumple, and Neal thought his father sounded every bit like the demonic imp the fairy tales had described him as.

"Like hell, I don't," said Neal, and he spun around on his heel and headed for the door.

"There's only one way out of this," said his father from behind him. "You'll be back."

Neal paused at the door and turned to face the man at the counter. "I wouldn't count on it." He slammed the door as hard as he could as he left.

 

 

"How did it go?" asked Emma as Neal joined her at the park. Henry was playing on the wooden castle play building.

Neal gave a long breath. He was still upset from his encounter with his father, and he was worried if he opened his mouth all his anger would come out at once.

"Not good?" asked Emma in response to his sigh.

"No," he said shaking his head.

"I'm sorry," she said when he didn't elaborate.

Neal shook his head and sighed again. His father's arrogance shouldn't upset him so much, but it did. "You know," he said at last. "It wouldn't be so bad if he was just a jerk and nothing else. He cried when he saw me - said he wanted to be a family again."

Emma looked at him with a half pitying, half hopeful look on her face, like she knew the meeting hadn't gone well but some part of her still wished it had.

"He hasn't changed one bit," Neal told her. "Not one bit. He's still the man I remember ... I remember ..." Neal couldn't finished the sentence. There was so much about his father's life as Rumpelstiltskin that he couldn't reveal to her. Abandoning him was one thing, all the people he hurt and manipulated was another.

Emma took a step toward him, and Neal wrapped an arm around her. He turned to watch Henry as he slid down the slide of the castle and headed toward his parents.

"This is my family," said Neal, giving a Emma kiss on the forehead. "I don't need anything else."


	6. Family

Henry had not given up on breaking the curse, and Neal was surprised he seemed to have thought along the same lines as his grandfather.

"I think we've gone about this all wrong," Henry told him the next morning. "If mom is the savior, then she's the one who has to break the curse. Maybe getting Snow White and Prince Charming together wasn't the answer. Maybe mom just has to meet her parents. Maybe something will connect."

It wasn't a terrible idea. Neal felt certain breaking the curse would take more than that, but if getting Emma alone with Snow and Charming produced some kind of spark ... with any luck, something would come out of it.

Thankfully, they didn't have to come up with any convoluted plan to get Emma and her parents together. Snow met the family for lunch the next day. Charming - or David - would be returning home from the hospital, and his "wife" was throwing a party for him. All of them - Emma, Henry, Neal, and Snow - had been invited.

"I don't think I'm going," Snow told them. She had barely touched her salad.

"Why not?" Emma asked her. "I'm sure David would love to see you. I mean, you did save his life."

"That's what I'm worried about," Snow admitted. "He told me," she continued when they waited for an explanation. "That nothing seems real ... except for me." She shoved a large forkful of lettuce into her mouth out of nervousness. "I resigned from the hospital," she added, her mouth half full.

"Mary Margaret," said Emma out of concern.

Snow put her fork down. "I just don't know what to do," she said, putting her face in her hands.

Emma gave the boys a pointed look, and Neal took Henry across the street to get some ice cream.

"He's confused, right?" Emma said once the boys had left. "Pretty soon he'll start to remember things, and everything will go back to normal."

"It's just..." Mary Margaret started but couldn't finish.

"You feel for him too," Emma concluded.

Mary Margaret nodded and folded her hands. "I know it doesn't make any sense."

"No, it makes perfect sense," Emma told her. "You're the one who saved his life. Of course he's going to form an attachment to you. And in a highly charged moment like that, there's no reason why you couldn't form an attachment to him." Emma reached across the table and put a hand on Mary Margaret's arm. "But he's married. He has another life. And you don't want to get mixed up in that."

Mary Margaret nodded. "I know," she said. "I know." She picked up her fork again. "I'll be fine," she said, stirring the lettuce in her bowl but not eating anything. "I'm fine."

"I'm going to stay with her," Emma told Neal later when she joined them at the ice cream shop.

"Are you sure?" Neal asked, surprised at how easy it had been to get the two of them together.

Emma nodded. "You and Henry enjoy the party. I'm sure David will want to see some familiar faces."

Neal didn't argue.

 

 

Emma wasn't quite sure why she felt the need to keep Mary Margaret company during the party. They had worked to find David together, so maybe she felt some comradery from that experience. She'd also had her share of bad relationships, so maybe she just wanted to help Mary Margaret avoid this one. She wasn't entirely sure what the reasons were. She hardly knew Mary Margaret, after all. But whatever the case might be, Emma couldn't help that she felt some kind of connection with the woman. At the end of the day, she just wanted to help her out.

They sat and talked a while in Mary Margaret's apartment before the party started. Mary Margaret paced the apparent, unable to stand still. She asked Emma about her family, where they lived, where she worked, and how they were enjoying their vacation. Emma asked Mary Margaret about Storybrooke, her own family, and her choice of occupation. Emma thought it was strange when sometimes it seemed difficult for Mary Margaret to find an answer, like she had never considered such simple questions about her life before.

"You don't remember when you started teaching?" Emma asked.

"No," said Mary Margaret with a laugh. "Isn't that strange? I guess I've just being doing it for so long..."

As the night wore on, Mary Margaret could no longer stand her restlessness. She decided she wanted to visit the school yard and put up the bird houses her students had made. Emma went with her. Neither of them were prepared for when David showed up.

"Didn't you get the invite?" he asked as he approached.

"David," said Mary Margaret, stepping down from the ladder she was on. She'd been caught off guard and didn't know what to say.

Emma had a few things in mind she would have liked to have said. But she knew this was something Mary Margaret needed to take control of. David wouldn't stop coming around if Mary Margaret didn't tell him off herself.

"I heard you resigned from the hospital," David told her. "Was it because of me? Because of what I told you about I felt?"

Mary Margaret struggled to find words.

"Come on," he said. "Tell me it's not one sided."

"You're married," Mary Margaret told him. "It shouldn't be any sided."

"What it should be doesn't matter," he told her. "Whoever married Kathryn wasn't me. I didn't choose her. I know you feel it," he added when she didn't speak. "I can tell."

Mary Margaret winced. "I know you think we have this connection," she said. "But maybe it's because I'm the person who saved your life. So," she added, taking a deep breath. "Why don't we leave it at that?"

She walked away before David could say anything else, and Emma couldn't have been more proud of her. David remained standing by the tree, uncertain of what to do now.

"You did choose Kathryn," Emma told him as she walked toward him. David jumped, like he just noticed she was there. "Just because you don't remember doesn't mean it never happened. You have the ring on your finger." She gestured at his hand. "You married her. And with her is exactly where you should be right now, not contemplating infidelity."

David twisted the ring on his finger. "I just..."

"You're confused." Emma told him. "And that's understandable. But do you really think that because you can't remember, it absolves you from all responsibility?"

David let out a long sigh.

"You're a grown man." Emma said when he didn't speak. "You need to be the responsible one here." She felt like she was talking to every failed relationship she'd ever had. "Regardless of how you feel right now, that doesn't change the fact that you married Kathryn. You must have loved her at some point. Don't you think you owe it her and yourself to figure out what happened? What right do you have to chase after another woman and put her in the position of contemplating an affair?"

David looked ashamed. He stared at the ground, his lips pursed, unable to speak.

"You owe it to her," Emma continued, pointing toward the school in the direction Mary Margaret went. "To figure out your life, to figure out you and Kathryn. If you really care for her, you'll realize the best thing you can do is stay away."

David hesitated and then nodded. "You're right," he said, his voice sounded hoarse. "You're right."

Emma had nothing further to say. David continued to nod, like he was thinking things through and agreeing with them. At last he said, "I'll just go," and then turned and walked away.

Emma went back into the school to find Mary Margaret in a little better mood. "Do you think he'll come back?" she asked as she gathered more bird houses.

Emma shook her head. "I don't think so. Not after getting a talking from both of us."

Mary Margaret let out a laugh. "Thanks, Emma."

"It was nothing," she said.

"No, I mean it," said Mary Margaret, turning to her. "I don't have any family, so ... it's nice ... to have someone look out for you, for a change."

Emma smiled back at her. The thought that she and her family would be leaving Storybrooke soon almost made her feel sad. She liked Mary Margaret, and she thought she might have made a friend, even though they'd only know each other a short while. "Any time," she said.

 

 

Neal was glad Emma got to spend some time with her mother, but unlike he and Henry had hoped, no spark of recognition had come to either woman. Neal had been right in feeling the curse would be harder to break than that.

He and Henry got their hopes up once more when Snow came to them the next day, frantic, and explained that "David" had left Kathryn and wanted Snow to meet him later. They had all encouraged her in the endeavor. Neal had started to believe that maybe Snow and Charming would break the curse after all.

But it was the next morning when Snow told them David had gone back to his wife that Neal realized Charming had finally received his cursed memories. He suspected Ursula had something to do with this sudden memory revival, though he couldn't be sure how. In any case, the curse seemed more and more impossible to break. Even Henry admitted he was out of ideas.


	7. The Library

Neal returned to the solution his father had suggested. He still wasn't keen on sending Emma into unknown danger with nothing but a sword to protect her. But he could not shake the feeling that there was something important under that clock tower.

The family spent their final days of vacation finishing the Places of Interest list. They would have finished it much sooner had they not repeatedly fallen into the habit of staying at one location for most of the day - like when Henry had wanted to stay at the stables or when his mother had taken him to the park and he'd loved the castle too much to leave.

But at last they had crossed everything off - everything but the library.

"It's closed," Emma said when Neal suggested they visit the place. "They've boarded it up. You've seen it."

"We should still look around," Neal told her. "It was important to the town once. Maybe we'll find something interesting."

Emma had shrugged and let it go. They hadn't had anything else planned for the day anyway. But she wasn't at all happy when they arrived at the location and her husband started shaking the boards.

"Neal," she warned.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"This is breaking and entering," she told him.

"We haven't broken anything yet," he said, continuing to shake boards.

"Neal!"

"Don't you want to see inside?" There was a screech and a board came lose. Neal feigned a gasp, placed the board on the ground and stepped through the open hole.

"Neal!" Emma shouted after him. "Henry, no-" She reached out to grab her son, but he slipped through her fingers. "Don't you-" But he headed through the hole after his father.

Emma hesitated. This wasn't right. This was wrong. Sure, she and Neal had done this sort of thing hundreds of times in their younger days, but they had sworn that off. They had promised not to walk on the other side of the law again.

And yet here was her husband, ripping down boarded windows and illegally entering abandoned buildings. And her son had gone after him.

She was putting them at risk by standing out on the sidewalk and gawking, so she followed them and stepped inside while making a mental note to give her husband a stern talking to later.

Her anger dissolved into surprise as she stepped into the library and saw how pristine everything looked. She would have expected dust to have covered everything and be at least a few inches thick with how no one in town could remember the library ever being open. But the books sat neatly aligned in their shelves. The floors and walls were clean, as though the library had been open the day before and had just closed down for the night. The surrealness of it all gave her the creeps.

"What's going on here?" she asked to the air, but it didn't answer her.

Henry stood in front of the librarian's desk, looking up and turning slowly in a circle, taking everything in. Neal had disappeared behind a bookcase.

"Look at this!" he shouted. Henry and Emma and joined him where he stood in front of old looking elevator. It had a set of double wooden doors and a series of mechanisms to either side that Emma imagined helped operate it. "Wonder where it goes."

"Neal, don't!" Emma told him as he reached for the wheel that would open the doors. "We shouldn't be in here."

Neal ignored her. He grasped the wheel, fully intending to turn it. For a moment, he was elated. Finally, they could figure out exactly what was going on here. Finally, they could break the curse.

But the more he examined the elevator and the mechanical workings he could see, the more he realized it wouldn't run on its own. Someone would have to stay above and operate it manually. That's why his father must have insisted Emma do this alone.

He was not going to send his wife into that place by herself, not when he had no idea what was down there. And he certainly wouldn't do it with Henry. "You're right," he said, changing his mind and letting go of the wheel. "Let's go."

"But-" Henry protested.

"Let's go," Neal repeated firmly.

But when they rounded the bookshelf, someone was standing in the hole they had made.

"What do you think you're doing?" came the firm voice of the town mayor.

"Mayor Caro," said Emma, stepping in front of her family. "I can explain. We were just-"

"It's my fault," said Neal, interrupting her. "I dragged Emma and Henry in here. They had nothing to do with this."

"I don't care whose fault it is," said Ursula, staring them all down. "All three of you are here. Therefore, all three of you are trespassing on city property."

"No, please," said Emma. "Henry-"

Ursula stepped toward the family. "I don't know what a vacation means to you people. That you can just do whatever you want? Let lose against the laws of society?"

"No," said Neal quickly.

The Mayor eyed them slowly, then sighed. "It is my understanding that your family is leaving within the next couple days. I suggest that you all leave the premises this instant, and that you avoid breaking any further laws. Do this now, and I will reconsider pressing charges."

"Yes, Mayor Caro," said Emma. "Thank you."

"Out!" Ursula demanded, pointing out the hole they had made.

The family hurried on their way. They didn't look back to see if Ursula had followed them.

 

 

"What were you thinking?" demanded Emma when they got back to their room at the inn.

"I-I just-" Neal struggled. He hadn't come up with a brilliant story for this one.

"Do you realize the kind of trouble we could have gotten into? Could have gotten Henry into? Breaking and entering on city property! Neal! What were you thinking?" she asked again.

"I just ... I just thought it would be cool to see, you know?"

That had not been the right words to say. Emma looked outraged. "We're lucky she didn't press charges!"

That had been lucky, but Neal imagined Ursula didn't bother to charge them because she wanted the family out of Storybrooke as soon as possible. He also didn't think she wanted to draw any attention to the library. Something was down there, and she was hiding it. Neal just had no idea what.

Emma threw up her hands. "I'm going over to the Mayor's house and apologizing tomorrow."

"What?" asked Neal, Emma's words drawing him away from his thoughts.

"You don't have to come," she said, too angry to look at him or even bother arguing with him anymore. "But I'm taking Henry, and we're going."

There was nothing Neal could say. He knew better than to talk when Emma was this upset with him. She slept as far as she could on the other side of the bed that night.

 

 

Neal didn't go with Emma to the Mayor's house. He had no interest in meeting with the woman or feigning innocence. They were running out of time to break this curse, and he didn't want to waste it with Ursula. Emma was still upset with him in the morning anyway, so he thought it better to give her some distance.

He went back to the library and found the board he had loosened from the day before had been put back up. He got it lose again, and headed back inside. This time he propped the board up behind him, hoping to make his entrance look less suspicious.

He walked to the elevator and turned the wheel, the two wooden doors rolling back and revealing the small gated room inside. Neal looked it all over. The elevator itself seemed terribly old, liable to break down. He still had no idea what waited beneath it all, but even attempting to ride the elevator seemed dangerous. His father's plan, while being the only one he had right now, continued to appear insane to attempt.

"Still haven't figured it out, have you?" came a voice behind him.

Neal jumped as he turned to meet his father. "I thought I made it pretty clear I wanted you to stay away."

Rumpelstiltskin turned his palms upward in an innocent gesture. "I'm just trying to help."

"What do you want?" Neal demanded. His patience was wearing thin.

"I just wanted to see if you've finally come to your senses."

Neal gestured at the elevator. "Are you going tell me what's down there?"

Rumple shook his head.

"And why not?"

"You'll never send Emma down there if I do."

"We'll that's great incentive for me to do so now!" Neal told him sarcastically, shouting at the end of it. He was extremely frustrated. He needed to find a way to break this curse, and playing his father's games was not helping.

"You were never going send her down there," Rumple told him, his voice remaining level and calm. "Not unless you had to. And to be frank," he paused for effect. "You're gonna have to."

"I still have time to figure something else out," Neal said. Two more days. They had two more days to come up with something.

"No, you don't," said Rumple.

"We leave on Sunday," Neal told him. "That gives us-"

"You're not gonna get till Sunday-"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" asked Neal, his anger starting to bubble again.

Rumple held up his hands in a gesture of peace. "I'm not the enemy here, Bae. I'm not the one you've crossed in this town."

It took Neal a moment to realize what his father was talking about. "The mayor."

"You've crossed her a few times since arriving in Storybrooke, from what I hear. You may even have let the name 'Snow' slip."

Neal took a breath, letting the fear that suddenly crept in dissipate. "There's no magic here," said Neal. "She can't do anything."

"Oh," said Rumple with a gleam in his eye that Neal didn't like. "I assure you, there are ways ... You really think she's gonna let your family leave town now that she knows you know her secret?"

Neal felt the dread take hold again. "Oh, God," he muttered, suddenly realizing where Emma and Henry were at this exact moment.

"Mayor Caro may act like a perfectly ordinary person," his father told him. "But I assure you, she is far more than that."

He had left his wife and son in the hands of the Evil Queen. "Emma! Henry!" He pushed passed his father and broke into a run as he went for the exit.


	8. Apple Turnover

Emma rang the doorbell of the Mayor's house. She wasn't sure how this conversation was going to go, but she felt that with everything that had happened this past week and a half that she had to say something.

After a few seconds, the door opened. Ursula stood in the doorway, looking unhappily down upon the two of them. "Can I help you?" she asked, sounding annoyed.

Emma nudged her son.

"Um, I just-" said Henry, stepping forward. "I wanted to apologize about saying you'd stolen Eric. I was wrong, and ... I'm sorry." He bowed his head, looking down at his shoes.

"I'm sorry, too," said Emma when Ursula didn't speak. "About the library. We shouldn't have been in there, and I should have taken control of the situation."

Ursula stared, like she had no idea what to do and she couldn't believe they were actually standing on her doorstep.

"We didn't want to leave town," Emma explained. "Without letting you know we weren't trying to cause trouble. We just-"

"I understand." Ursula interjected, her stony demeanor melting. She even smiled at the two of them. "Why don't you come in?" She opened the door wider for them.

The invitation was unexpected, but Emma wasn't about to turn it down. She gestured for Henry to enter first, and then she followed. Ursula closed the door behind them.

"Eric!" Ursula called up the stairs. "There's someone here to play with you!" She turned to Henry. "You don't mind, do you?"

"Of course not!" said Henry, grinning.

Ursula smiled back at him. Once Henry and Eric had gone into to the play area, she ushered Emma into the kitchen. "I'm glad you came around."

"I just wanted you to know that we really weren't trying to cause trouble ... this vacation has just been a little strange."

Ursula smiled like she understood. It felt odd to have her acting so friendly when she had been so stern in every other encounter. But then, every other encounter had involved her and her family acting in ways they shouldn't have. Maybe they just hadn't had the opportunity to see Ursula's good side.

"You know we don't get many visitors to Storybrooke," Ursula said. "I think in some ways your visit was a little strange for the town."

Emma didn't understand, but she didn't get to ask Ursula to elaborate because the timer on the counter went off. Ursula silenced it and went to the oven where she put on a glove and pulled out a large homemade pastry.

"It's a shame you won't be here for the Fall Festival," Ursula told her as she placed the dessert in a plastic container. "My apple turnovers always win first prize."

She passed the container to Emma, who didn't know what to think. "You were making this before we came over."

Ursula nodded. "I intended to take it to your family later tonight as a peace offering. I know we've had some disagreements, but perhaps we simply got off on the wrong foot. You are certainly not unwelcome to return."

Emma studied her, looking her up and down. "This is a political ploy," she said, holding up the container. "You want us to come back, or at least say good things about you for future tourism."

Ursula smiled. "Guilty as charged."

Emma smiled back and glanced at the turnover in her hands. It did look good. "It's not a bad bribe."

"I was hoping you and your family could enjoy that on the ride home or some time before you leave."

"We certainly couldn't have it for breakfast tomorrow. Granny would not be pleased."

Ursula smiled. "So ... no hard feelings?"

Emma gave a nod. "Peace offering accepted, Mayor Caro."

Ursula bowed her head. "Apology accepted, Mrs. Cassady."

 

 

"Why are you out of breath?" asked Emma when Neal made it back to their room at the inn.

"I was just, uh," he paused, trying to catch his breath. "Uh, running." With his father's warning ringing in his ears, he had ran from the library to the Mayor's house. When he'd noticed the yellow bug wasn't there, he'd raced back to Granny's. Now that it seemed his family was okay, however, the whole thing seemed a bit foolish.

"Running?" asked Emma, sounding unsure of this sudden change of habit from her husband.

"Yeah," said Neal, simply. He knew he had to change the subject fast. "How was the, uh, the thing?"

"The visit to the Mayor's?" asked Emma.

Neal put a hand on his knee. Still struggling for air, he gave a wave of his free hand to indicate he was listening.

"It went well," said Emma, her voice still sounding unsure, like she didn't know what to make of her husband at all.

Neal looked up at her, both hands on his knees now. "Really?"

"Yeah," said Emma, "She made us a peace offering." She nodded toward the nightstand, upon which sat a container holding a pastry of some sort.

Henry had just come out of the bathroom behind his mother, and he mouthed, "Don't eat it."

Neal gave a quick nod of his head to show he understood. Then he straightened and clasped his hands together. "So," he said, trying to change the subject again. "What are we going to do today?"

"We leave tomorrow, don't we?" asked Henry sadly at breakfast the next morning. His mother had gotten up from the table to use the restroom.

Neal nodded. He had dreaded this conversation. "Yeah, Henry, we do."

"But we haven't broken the curse."

"We will," Neal assured him, reaching across the table to grasp his son's arm. "I promise you, Henry, we will. We're just out of time."

"We can't go now," Henry pleaded. "You must have some other idea."

Neal sighed. "I have one," he admitted. "But it's insane, Henry," he explained when his son's eyes lit up. "It's far too dangerous. And I'm not risking anyone's life. Not until I know it's our last resort."

"It  _is_  our last resort," Henry told him. "We're leaving tomorrow."

"Just because we're leaving doesn't mean we can't come back." Neal reasoned. "And we will come back. We just need a better plan."

"How is going away gonna help us form a better plan?" asked Henry, his voice rising as he became more upset.

"Henry-" Neal tried.

"What about all the people here?" he continued. "What about Snow and Charming, and the fact that they don't realize they are meant to be together? What about Roland who doesn't even know who his real parents are?"

"We'll help them, Henry," Neal said. "Just not this time."

Henry looked down at his breakfast plate, his lip trembling. "If it was me, you'd stay." He said. "If you were trying to break the curse for me, you'd do it."

"Henry," said Neal, but he had no idea what to say to placate his son.

Henry pulled himself from his father's grasp and removed himself from the table. Neal called after him, but he didn't stop. The boy left the dining area, and Neal could hear footsteps as he headed up the stairs and back to their room.

"Henry?" asked Neal, as he followed his son. "What are you-?" His words stopped short as he saw Henry had opened the container at the nightstand. As his son turned to face him, Neal saw he held the apple turnover in his hands.

"Henry," said Neal slowly. He had no idea what was in that apple turnover, but he could only imagine it was something bad. "We agreed we weren't going to eat that."

"We have to break the curse," his son told him.

"Yes, we do," Neal agreed, taking a tentative step forward. "But this is not the way to do it."

"I'm sorry," said Henry, and he raised the turnover to his lips.

"Henry, no!" Neal shouted, lunging toward his son.

But Henry had already taken a bite.

 

 

Emma stood in the waiting room of the hospital. Henry's prognosis had not been good. The doctors didn't know what was wrong with him. After taking a bite of the turnover, he'd passed out. He was unresponsive, and the doctors feared his condition would only grow worse.

Emma looked like she didn't know whether to stand or sit, to stay or to leave. She lifted one foot and then the other. Her knees bent slightly and then straightened. She clenched and unclenched her shaking hands. Neal knew she wanted to act, to do something, but she didn't know what.

"Emma, sit," Neal said, going over to her and directing her into a chair.

"I don't know what to do," she said, her voice sounding watery as she wrung her hands.

"I know," Neal said as he sat down beside her. When Henry had passed out, he'd grabbed his story book. He had it with him now, and he held it up for his wife to see. "Emma, this is going to sound crazy, but I need you to listen for a moment."

Emma stared at him. "Our son may be dying, and you want to talk about fairy tales?"

"Just listen, please." There must have been enough desperation in his voice because Emma's face took on a more serious expression.

"This book," Neal explained, opening it and flipping through its pages. "Tells the story of an Evil Queen, named Ursula." He held up the page with Ursula's illustration and Emma stared at it in disbelief. The likeness between the illustration and the Ursula they knew was uncanny. "She casts a curse on all the fairy tale people. She takes away their memories and their happy endings and sends them to a place without magic."

Neal took the book away and flipped to the final pages. He looked up at his wife. This part was going to be hardest to explain. "But before the curse, Snow White and Prince Charming send their daughter through a magical wardrobe, which saves her from the curse, and which means she has the ability to come back and save them." Neal held up the page showing Charming placing his daughter in the wardrobe. The infant girl was wrapped in a blanket upon which the name "Emma" had been embroidered. "It's you, Emma."

Emma shook her head. "No. No, Neal-"

"It's you-"

Emma stood from the chair and walked a few paces from him. Neal got up to join her.

"Our son is dying!" Emma hissed, spinning around to face him. "Do you not understand that?"

"Of course, I understand that!" he told her.

"Then what is this?" she demanded, gesturing at the book. "Why are you trying to tell me I'm Snow White and Prince Charming's daughter?"

"Because it's true."

"It's not true!" she shouted so loudly that other people in waiting room turned to look at her.

"Emma," said Neal, stepping forward to try to comfort her.

"Don't touch me!" she said, pushing his arms away. But her anger dissolved into tears. "Neal, I don't know what's gotten into you. You've been acting so strange since we got here."

"I've been trying to break this curse-"

"There is no curse!" Emma insisted. She gestured at the book again. "Why would you believe this?"

"Because I'm in it," Neal told her.

She looked at him like he was insane.

"I am," he said. He crossed back to the chair where he had laid the book down and opened it to the page with the illustration of him as a young boy. "This is me, Emma," he said, bringing the book to her. "My father, Rumpelstiltskin-"

"No, stop!" said Emma bringing her hands to her head. "Just stop! Stop it!" She brought her hands down. "There's no curse! No Rumpelstiltskin! No Evil Queen! I'm not - Henry!" All the fight seemed to go out of her. Her whole body shuddered, and she placed her hands on her knees to steady herself.

Neal backed away, realizing he was causing more harm than good. His wife was filled with grief, and now she was convinced her husband had gone insane. He needed to take a different approach.

"I know it's hard to right now," he said as Emma gasped for air, trying to calm herself. "But I need you to trust me. I know you're restless," he continued when she didn't say anything. "I know right now you just want to do something, anything. And I think I know how we can save Henry. But to do that, I need you come with me."

He held out his hand, and Emma turned to look at him, her hands still on her knees. For a moment, with the expression on her face, he thought for sure she'd tell him to take a hike and he'd be left to do this on his own. But then he saw the determination creep in. He was offering her a chance to save Henry, and any chance was better than sitting around and waiting.

She grasped his hand and straightened. She didn't believe, but for now just her willing participation was enough.


	9. Love and Magic

"Why are we here?" asked Emma as they approached Mr. Gold's shop.

"We have to pick something up," Neal told her, knowing explaining wouldn't do any good.

They entered the shop, and Gold came out from the back room to meet them. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Emma.

"Well," he said. "Mrs. Cassady. A pleasure to meet you again." He bowed dramatically.

Emma looked to Neal.

"This is my father," he told her. "Rumple - I mean, uh, Mr. Gold."

"That's your father?" asked Emma in surprise.

Neal nodded as Gold straightened and clasped his hands, looking quite pleased at the situation. "What I can I help you two with, today?"

"We're here for the sword," said Neal, wasting no time and striding toward the counter.

"Sword?" said Emma. "Why do we need a sword?"

Neal said the words very quickly, knowing they wouldn't help at all if he said them at the a normal pace. "There's a true love potion under the library that can break the curse and just might save Henry's life, so don't think too hard and just go with it."

Emma was giving him that insane look again.

His father looked between the two of them questionably.

"She hasn't quite come around to the whole idea of the curse just yet," Neal explained quickly.

"Ah," said Rumple. "Well, maybe this will help." He lifted the lid of the case that the held the sword of Prince Charming.

Emma stared at it, unimpressed. "What am I supposed to do with it?"

Rumple turned up his palms. "Whatever you may."

Emma looked to her husband and back to her father-in-law, realizing they were both serious. "I've never used a sword before," she said, trying and failing to add some sanity back into the room.

"Oh, I think you'll find," said Rumple, reaching into the case and holding the sword out to Emma. "That it's in your blood."

She didn't take the sword right away, and instead turned to Neal. "This will save Henry?"

Neal nodded at the same time his father said, "Absolutely."

Emma studied her husband for a few moments, as though wanting to be absolutely certain he was telling the truth. Then, somewhat reluctantly, she looked back at Gold and took a breath. "If it's for Henry," she said. And then she reached out and grasped the sword's hilt.

 

 

"This is insane," Emma told Neal when they made it back the to library and stood before the elevator.

"I know," Neal told her. He didn't like this situation at all. "I'm just ... glad you're following me along, to be honest." It surprised him how far she'd come. He hadn't been sure how long she'd go along with this, considering she thought he was insane and all.

"Yeah, well," she said, glancing down at the sword like she couldn't believe she was holding it. "I don't have any better ideas ... to be honest." Though she questioned every step, anything was better that sitting in that waiting room with nothing to do but dread the worst. Anything.

Neal watched her as she made up her mind. It was amazing, her transformation from uncertainty to confidence. And then he realized she was looking at him like she was waiting for something. It took him a moment to remember why they were there. "Right," he said and stepped to the wheel to open the doors.

"Emma!" he said, stepping forward to grab her arm as she headed toward the gate. "I don't know what's down there."

There was fear in his face, but Emma just smiled at him. None of this made enough sense for her to be scared. "I'll be fine," she said. Then she stepped away from him and opened the gate.

Neal stood by the controls, momentarily too worried to lower his wife into the unknown. "I love you," he told her simply.

She smiled back at him. "I love you too."

It was enough to get his head straight. He made sure the gate was secure, and then he manipulated the controls to lower her down.

 

 

"What am I doing here?" Emma asked herself when she had reached the bottom.

The elevator shaft stretched out into a massive cavern before her. She had no idea what the cavern contained, why there was an elevator shaft leading down into it, or what she could possibly need a sword for. But she stepped forward anyway.

At first, she thought there was just a simple rock formation in front of her. But as she stepped closer, she realized the structure was made of glass. She couldn't fathom what it was doing here. But then, as she studied it, she realized it was a coffin - Snow White's coffin - the one she had seen in Henry's story book.

She took a step back from the thing, her pace obstructed when she backed into another rock. The whole existence of the coffin was just too insane to believe. And yet, there it was right in front of her, looking exactly like the illustration she had seen.

It was crazy, just crazy, but she didn't have time to debate the evidence with herself because the rock she had backed into suddenly moved.

Emma spun around, raising the sword in front of her. She could feel her eyes widening as she followed the rock formation as it moved up into the air. And then she saw the rock had eyes and a mouth. And not just that, but limbs and wings! The massive thing took a breath and exhaled fire.

Emma nearly dropped the sword as realization overtook her. Disbelieving was no longer an option, not with survival on the line. She couldn't afford to not believe in fairy tales with a dragon reared before her.

 

 

Neal paced nervously before the elevator. He checked his watch, realizing it had only been seconds since he'd last looked. It felt like Emma had been down there forever but it had only been minutes.

He spun around, taking his gaze away from the elevator to give himself something else to look at it. He nearly toppled over when he saw his father had joined him.

"What are you doing here?" Neal asked, surprised.

His father had a pained looked on his face that Neal didn't understand. "I'm sorry, Bae," he whispered.

"What is it?" Neal asked, panicking. He turned toward the elevator. "Is it Emma? Is it-?" As he turned back to face his father, he saw the handle of his father's cane coming toward his face.

He didn't have time to react. Everything went dark before he hit the ground.

 

 

Neal let out a groan as he came to. His head was pounding, and for a few moments his vision swam. Eventually, the library came into focus. It took him a few more moments to realize he was tied to a chair.

"What are you doing?" he asked as he realized his father was standing behind him, tying knots.

His father paused in his work as though he hadn't expected his son to awaken before he had finished. "What needs to be done," he said, and went back to his knot tying.

"What needs to be done?" Neal repeated. He pulled on his binds, trying to wrench his body from the chair. But it made his head hurt more, so he stopped.

His father responded by pulling him back and tightening the ropes.

"Look," said Neal, struggling. "Emma's down there-"

"I know," his father said.

"Then what are you-?" But then it came to him. "You want the potion. You don't intend to give it to Henry."

His father stopped his work and stepped around to face him. "I'm sorry, Bae." And he truly looked it. "I don't want to do this."

"You're gonna let Henry die!" Neal spat.

But his father shook his head. "There are other ways-"

"Ways that you aren't gonna tell me!"

His father looked pained. "I'm sorry, Bae," he said again. He knelt with some difficulty to floor and pulled a roll of duct tape from a bag.

"Stop it!" Neal shouted at him as he extended the roll. "Just, stop it!" He tried to wrench free of his bonds again, but it was no use. His head hurt too much and his father's knots were too tight. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because I can't lose you," said his father, his whole body trembling.

"What?"

"You're going to leave," Rumple explained. "And I can't have that. I've spent too long trying to find you."

"And you think tying me to chair is going to fix that?!"

His father shook his head. "Magic, Bae. I need magic. I can bring it back to this world, and then no matter where you go, I'll be able to find you."

Neal stared at his father in disbelief. This couldn't be happening, it just couldn't. But his father was striding toward him with the tape outstretched. Emma would come up the elevator with the potion and his father would take it from her, leaving Henry to his fate.

"Wait," Neal pleaded, and his father paused with the tape just inches from his face. Neal bowed his head, looking down at his knees. The words were difficult to bring up, but they were necessary if he was going to save Henry's life. "All I ever wanted," he said, his head still turned down from his father. "Was to know you cared about me more than you cared about magic."

Neal could hear his father's shuddering breath, and he looked up to the man's face. "Untie me," he pleaded. "Untie me. Help us save Henry - my son - you're grandson. Prove to me that family means more to you than anything, and I'll stay. Not for long," Neal added to his father's intake of breath. "We'll have to go back home eventually. But I promise you, if you do this, we can try to be a family again." His father's outstretched hands were shaking. "Just let the magic go."

His father said nothing, only stood in place and trembled. For a moment, Neal felt certain his father would press the tape to his face. But instead, he threw the strip down and stepped to the chair to untie the knots.

"I'm sorry," his father told him as he loosened the rope. "I'm so sorry, Bae."

Neal felt the rope give, and he gladly pulled himself free. He turned around to see his father still kneeling behind the chair, the lose rope in his hands. He had a pitiful expression on his face, like he was looking to his son for mercy.

Neal found that he couldn't be mad at him. He'd proven what meant most to him in the world, and that was all Neal had need. "It's okay, Papa," he said, the words falling easily from his mouth.

His father got to his feet, and Neal pulled him into an embrace. It was an emotional moment for the two of them, both of them regaining someone in their lives they had been certain they had lost. But the sound of the elevator moving again snapped them out of it. And when the stupid thing jammed on the way up, they both worked to pull Emma out of it.

 

 

They received the call as soon as they left the library. Henry had taken a turn for the worst. They all ran back to the hospital, but the looks on the doctor's faces when they arrived told them they had gotten there too late.

Emma could feel her heart breaking in two as she stepped into the room where the nurse was unhooking her son from the tubes and monitors that had been keeping him alive. She clenched the golden egg she was holding tightly in her arms, needing something to hold on to so she wouldn't fall apart.

"Henry," she whispered. "Henry, I tried..." She'd tried, but she hadn't been fast enough.

Neal stepped over to her and put an arm around her. She knew he was grieving too, but she couldn't look at him, so consuming was the pain she felt. And that's when the thought came to her. She'd gone through all of this work to save her son, hadn't she? She'd slain a real live dragon for him! It couldn't have all been for nothing.

"Open it," she said, turning to Gold.

He looked at her, dumbfounded.

"Open it," she repeated, holding the egg out to him.

"I don't think-" He started.

"Do it!" she shouted.

Not needing told again, he took the egg from her and undid the clasp at its base. The egg split open, revealing the small potion bottle inside.

Emma took the bottle as he handed it to her. She stepped over to her son, undid the stopper, and poured the potion into Henry's mouth.

For a few long seconds nothing happened, and Emma felt despair creeping in. But then a light radiated from Henry's body that burst outward in all directions. Emma felt the force of it as it blew back her hair, but she hardly noticed it over Henry's gasp of air.

"Henry!" she cried, and started fiddling with his hair.

"I knew you could do it." Henry said, smiling up at both his parents.

Neal and Emma were simply so elated at having their son back that they didn't notice at first the gasps of surprise coming from behind them. Emma turned to find some nurses embracing. Other staff seemed to be in a state of shock - like Dr. Whale, who was looking down at his hands like he'd never seen them before.

"What's going on?" asked Emma to the room.

It was her son who answered her. "The curse. I think you broke it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I entertained you, consider buying me a coffee: Ko-fi.com/heidirs
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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